Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Most people are both repelled and intrigued by the images of cold-blooded, conscienceless murderers that increasingly populate our movies, television programs, and newspaper headlines. With their flagrant criminal violation of society's rules, serial killers like Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy are among the most dramatic examples of the psychopath. Individuals with this personality disorder are fully aware of the consequences of their actions and know the difference between right and wrong, yet they are terrifyingly self-centered, remorseless, and unable to care about the feelings of others. Perhaps most frightening, they often seem completely normal to unsuspecting targets--and they do not always ply their trade by killing. Presenting a compelling portrait of these dangerous men and women based on 25 years of distinguished scientific research, Dr. Robert D. Hare vividly describes a world of con artists, hustlers, rapists, and other predators who charm, lie, and manipulate their way through life. Are psychopaths mad, or simply bad? How can they be recognized? And how can we protect ourselves? This book provides solid information and surprising insights for anyone seeking to understand this devastating condition.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Introduction
• 1 "Experiencing" the Psychopath
• 2 Focusing the Picture
• 3 The Profile: Feelings and Relationships
• 4 The Profile: Lifestyle
• 5 Internal Controls: The Missing Piece
• 6 Crime: The Logical Choice
• 7 White-Collar Psychopaths
• 8 Words from an Overcoat Pocket
• 9 Flies in the Web
• 10 The Roots of the Problem
• 11 The Ethics of Labeling
• 12 Can Anything Be Done?
• 13 A Survival Guide
• Epilogue

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

The word psychopath conjures up visions of the horrific deeds of Ted Bundy or Jeffrey Dahmer for most people. But not all murderers are psychopaths and not all psychopaths are murderers. Psychopathy is a complex personality disorder whose most prevalent characteristic is lack of remorse and whose cause and cure are still unknown. Unlike Hare's previous writings, geared to professional clinicians and researchers, this title attempts to clarify psychopathy for the general public. Hare is a recognized expert in the field of psychopathy, and whereas the content here is good and the explanations accessible to lay readers, the presentation is choppy and repetitious. Owing to interest in the more famous psychopaths, this book will probably be popular in public libraries. Although it is by no means scholarly, academic libraries may consider it because of the author's expertise. Another book to consider is Herve Cleckley's classic, The Mask of Insanity (Cleckley, 1988).-- Jennifer Amador, Central State Hosp. Medical Lib., Petersburg, Va. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

After listening to this crash course in personality interpretation, listeners may find themselves suspicious of everyone who happens across their path on an ordinary day. Hare has spent years researching some of the greatest criminal psychopaths the world has ever known, and now he wants to show the general public how to spot them in a crowd. Paul Boehmer delivers a well-paced reading that allows the author's work to speak for itself. His narration is unadorned and straightforward, without becoming dry or-pardon the pun-deadly serious. His reading does justice to the author's years of hard work and makes for an engaging audiobook and a fascinating look at the dark side of life. A Guilford Press paperback. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Kirkus Book Review

A fascinating, if terrifying, look at psychopaths: the often charming, glib, sane-seeming people who rape and murder--and rip- off S&Ls--without a second's thought because they utterly lack the emotions that add up to the defining human characteristic of conscience. Hare (Psychology/University of British Columbia) gives thumbnail sketches of one psychopath after another--from John Wayne Gacy, the serial murderer who liked to entertain children as ``Pogo the Clown,'' to mere kids who torture and kill not only animals but other children. The author isolates the essential traits of the psychopath by using a ``psychopath checklist,'' a system of assessment he's devised during ten years of clinical practice with psychopaths in Canadian prisons. Again and again, Hare's rating system has verified a definition devised in 1941 by psychologist Hervey Cleckley, who concluded that psychopaths lack all personal values: ``It is impossible for [the psychopath] to take even a slight interest in the tragedy or joy or the striving of humanity as presented in serious literature or art,'' Cleckley wrote. ``He is also indifferent to all these matters in life itself.'' Hare cites provocative new evidence that the brain function of psychopaths may differ from that of normal adults: It seems that the speech of psychopaths is controlled by both hemispheres rather than by just the left, as is typical. In addition, ``neither side of the [psychopath's brain] is typical in the processes of emotion.'' While all the implications of psychopathic brain function remain unclear, Hare makes a strong case for the view that psychopaths are born, not made--and that, crucially, little can be done to unmake them. While advocating the firm training of psychopaths to consider rationally the outcome of their actions- -substituting head for heart--the author warns that denying the incorrigible nature of these cold, calculating beings will allow even more of them to prey on society. A chilling, eye-opening report--and a call to action.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Robert D. Hare, PhD, considered one of the world's foremost experts on psychopathy, is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of British Columbia, Canada. Dr. Hare is the developer of one of the most widely used tools for assessing psychopathy and the author of over 100 scientific articles and several books. He has received numerous awards for his distinguished contributions to psychology and criminology.